In His Shadow
by Darth Comrade
Summary: Sometimes there are true terrors that lurk behind the answers we seek, and Ahsoka Tano may soon discover them while on the hunt for her missing Jedi Master.
1. Missing Jedi

_A.N. _

_This is the beginning of a new adventure set in a new chronology. Please visit my profile page for the latest on the author's news._

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The Clone Wars is entering its final stages and the imminent fall of The Republic is felt across The Galaxy.

In these critical times Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker has disappeared leaving many in The Jedi Order wondering if The Jedi Council are aware of his whereabouts or if this was a ploy by The Separatists to stage a critical attack and turn the tide of the war in their own favor.

Troubled by this situation, Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano decided to take matters into her own hands. She begins her journey with a discovery that may forever determine the fate of The Galaxy...

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**Chapter 1 - Missing Jedi**

_**Coruscant, The Jedi Temple**_

Ahsoka Tano held in her hands the first glimmer of hope she has seen in weeks; a commodity that she has been yearning for since the beginning of this crisis. In the eyes of any bystander it was nothing more than a small datapad, but her determined smile meant it was far more than that. She had found a treasure trove of information that The Jedi Council lacked throughout their investigation of her master's whereabouts, the legendary Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker.

"Bingo." She jeered.

Drooped over the small chest located in her master's quarters within The Jedi Temple, Ahsoka had cautiously cracked the lock using illegally obtained slicing equipment, after she had of course infiltrated a level with designated chambers strictly reserved for Jedi Knights, and then hacked the panel beside the slide doors into his accommodation. Under normal circumstances no padawan would ever pull off such a stunt, and no padawan would probably dare when the situation calls for it, but she was no ordinary padawan to begin with. Besides, she was left with little choice.

Wearing her trademark smile, Ahsoka straightened to observe the prize within her hands. She flinched when the small device flickered in the dark to illuminate the soft features on her face and then began to read out loud the contents of his last entry, her focused eyes traced every word and carefully she reiterated them with the soft motion of her lips, "Subject: The Cat. My contact detailed to me the exact location of our meeting. He insisted: No escorts. That is not a concern. If he can give me the information I need I will finally be able to learn the truth."

"What were you up to, master?" She thought, and allowed her mind to trace back to the days that passed.

The Jedi Council has held countless meetings and secret discussions over the past weeks over this matter, ever since Anakin Skywalker's disappearance. No one knows yet what has happened to him, or whether or not this was part of an enemy plot. One thing is for certain however, and that is The Jedi are not letting anyone in on what they do know.

Some believe that this was all part of a cover up, and that Anakin had been sent on a secret mission behind enemy lines. But, there was no hiding the genuine concern on The Jedi's faces, namely his best friend and closest ally, Obi Wan Kenobi.

It was just the day before, Ahsoka Tano had been waiting patiently outside The Council Chambers when its wide slide doors hissed open and she was nearly blinded by the gleaming cracks of sunlight tearing through the transparisteel windows inside. The gentle footsteps of all the Council Members directed her attention back after she flinched, and there stood over her in a worn out white tunic concealed beneath warm brown robes was the Jedi Master Obi Wan. His blue eyes slanted and brows anxiously strained he spoke in a soft voice full of concern, "I'm afraid there is nothing we can do for Anakin now. The Council has decided."

Ahsoka felt her heart collapse, and almost opened her mouth to argue before she mustered all her strength to restrain that thought. At that moment Jedi Master Mace Windu stepped in between them, "We cannot continue investigating this case, Padawan." He said with a voice full of his hallmark attitude, and when she lifted her gaze to see the scold in his sharp chocolate eyes she was ready to explode, but his input came fast, "The Council needs to move on. There are more pressing matters that need our attention."

The arrogance of The Council and its failings were usually footnoted by these two key words: pressing matters. When it comes to the war and its politics, she found that understandable. But this was her master they were brushing aside, and this time she was ready to speak up.

"With all due respect, Master." Ahsoka replied, her voice audibly confrontational and her brow visibly furrowed to emphasize her distaste with his interruption, "But, how can you do this? Anakin is a Jedi Knight! He's a part of this Order!"

"And so are hundreds of Jedi whom we are also responsible for." Mace did not hide his disapproval with her argument, and he clearly held the strain in his tone just enough to not appear flustered by her defiance. His stare however, said otherwise, "Now fall in line, Padawan. And know your place."

Obi Wan Kenobi watched the exchange silently, and in all faintness broke the silence between them, "Master Windu is right, Ahsoka." He explained and allowed the young Togruta a moment to break the staring contest with her opponent then direct her attention over to him. He continued once Windu marched to the side and left them alone, "I'm terribly sorry, young one. I did all I could but The Council wouldn't have it."

It took her a moment to see that deep affection he had for Anakin in his eyes pour out in the sad gaze he fixed on her. Obi Wan Kenobi was always a gentle and friendly being. And yet in the hardest of trials he somehow always came out on top with an unyielding resolve. Ahsoka however, could never tune out her feelings like that. She was too much like Anakin in regards to her emotions, particularly if said trials meant losing those closest to her. And Master Anakin Skywalker was as close as they could get. He would not abandon her, and he certainly would not abandon Master Kenobi.

"So, that's it?" She asked in her last words to him, and then watched as he approached her and planted his gentle hands on her shoulders, "I'm supposed to just accept my master is gone?"

In a slow agonizing stride Obi Wan vanished down the temple hallway leaving her with no answer.

But Ahsoka didn't need an answer that day. She found it herself. And in the palms of her hands, it came to her in the form of a code name: The Cat. This measly breadcrumb was exactly what she held her hopes on finding when she gambled on breaking into these quarters, and it will now serve as her first step on a new journey, one where she might discover the truth behind her master's mysterious vanishing act.

"I'll find you, master. If it's the last thing I'll do."

Gently pressing the cover to the chest back down to seal it, Ahsoka heard a long and loud sigh echo in the room and felt the cold breath of a being against the surface of her neck. She turned swiftly and found nothing more than the vacant open doorway to the room, and a chilling silence. The only light in the room poured in dimly from outside the door.

"Hmm." She stood and cautiously glanced around to make certain no one had caught her in the act then calmly made her exit.

There was a disturbance in The Force, of that Ahsoka was certain. She felt it in her bones, and she has ever since her master disappeared. The Council felt it too, but they would never admit it. As for what was causing these new ripples, that was exactly what she was determined to find out; even if The Jedi Council was not.

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_A.N. Thanks to all my readers. I'm really excited to be delving into this genre again. Please review and share your thoughts!_


	2. The Cat

_A.N. Here's a nice quick update._

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**Chapter Two - The Cat**

**_Coruscant, Industrial Sector_**

The underbelly of Coruscant was a network of filthy ridden streets, seedy alleyways and sparsely distributed crowds of aliens, worn out speeders and diseased critters nibbling on whatever dirt, junk or loose wires they could find, but once you enter the industrial sector the scene changes dramatically. Almost no body explores these parts. A lot of these factories are automated, and if anyone was unfortunate enough to have landed a job here then it is doubtful that they chose to keep it for long, assuming they survived the numerous industrial accidents that occur.

Ahsoka Tano adjusted the hood of her robes and concealed the bitter twitch of her lips beneath its shadow. She hated going beneath the surface. Every time her master brought her down to the lower levels it took all the patience and focus she could gather within herself to keep her mind on the mission and not surrender to the anxieties that came with the terrible scents and smells, and the general unfriendly environment, which was a grave contrast to the planet's atmospheric surface.

With an irritated sigh she raised the map reader held in her palm to her gaze, "This is the place," she mumbled thoughtfully. Indeed the coordinates the device blinked at her were correct, but with a brief scan of her surroundings she saw no one. She stood against the corner of the abandoned warehouse building with the heels of her combat boots saturated in a puddle of fluid that was continually dripping from the industrial pipelines stretched over the warehouse to the rest of the factories located across the entire sector. This was as sleazy a place as any to meet up with a contact, particularly one with a call sign like The Cat.

This would usually be the time for her to tune inwardly and trust in the connection to The Force to guide her path, except for once fortune might be working in her favor. Two figures had appeared stepping out of a speeder and judging by what she was seeing her best bet at finding The Cat was to follow them. The overly cautious behavior she noted from them immediately gave them away as amateurs; it was almost humorous to watch the pair bumbling down the footpath. Ahsoka figured they wouldn't last long without her watching over them. Their weak attempt at concealing their weapons and the poor job at keeping a low profile was the perfect bait she needed to lure out her target.

"Thank the Force," Ahsoka smiled, and then chased after them, albeit stealthily. She traced their journey down the empty streets towards the denser factory areas and when they did a not so subtle job of splitting up she made sure both of them were still in her field of vision. A not so difficult job for Jedi – particularly one trained in the arts of hit and run strikes and ambush combined with her long field experience throughout the ongoing war.

She reached for the transmission tuner on her belt and made the necessary adjustment, placing her free hand on the listening device in her ear until she successfully intercepted their radio channel. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. Just as she figured, these people really are new to this. They are using an open and unencrypted channel so anyone can listen in on them. The first voice was female, the break up in static was brief, but once it cleared her voice came loud and clear, "…repeat; this is SWAN to SENTINEL, can you hear me?"

Well, at least they were using code names; Ahsoka had to give them at least that. It shows they're trying.

"I read you, SWAN," the man responded. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Trusting a source we know nothing about?"

"Just stick to the plan," she replied, reducing her voice to a whisper. "I have to know what happened to Anakin even if it means trusting an unreliable source."

Ahsoka knew she recognized that voice. She uttered it faster than she could restrain herself, "_Padme?_"

"But what if it's a trap?" The man argued.

"I'm almost certain it's a trap, Bail," she countered, and Ahsoka almost slapped herself at witnessing such an embarrassing slip-up. "That's why I brought you along. I can't rely on my guards to pull off a job like this. It would get too messy."

Ahsoka shrugged and bounced her head around that thought, well, maybe she could see how Padme might come to that conclusion but she could not see how that logic made any more sense in bringing another senator along, especially for a job like this.

But still, she couldn't believe her luck. She almost felt bad for kind of surprises might be waiting for her friends down here, but she knew that there was no tastier bait on Coruscant for a criminal than a pair of naïve, vulnerable and wealthy senators.

As they moved further along the edge of what appeared to be an abandoned bacta paste factory a voice tore through the void and brought everyone to an abrupt stop.

"You must be The Swan," it was a male's voice, cheeky and husky.

The figure Ahsoka identified as Bail gently disappeared into a small alleyway just to his side, while Padme remained defiantly looking for the source of the voice, "Show yourself!" She yelled.

A tall, lean figure took two big confident steps to reveal his location out of the corner of the block Padme was standing in. He closed the space between them slowly, hands in his pockets and speaking in a voice dripping with scorn, "I have nothing to _hides_, but you...well, maybe," he chuckled.

The light from the nearest neon fell on his Nikto features. The alien's scaly face was riddled with horns growing outwards, much like a flower but with sharp straight thorns in place of petals. His features included tiny nostrils in place of a regular nose, small black eyes without pupils that were just a little too close to each other than what she's used to seeing, and his derisive smile unveiled a mouthful of fangs.

Padme uncovered her face. "If you have nothing to hide then you will give me the information you promised."

"You are terrible at bargaining, Senator," The Nikto snarled, suddenly presenting a pair of blaster pistols in both hands. "You's all made a terrible mistake coming down here."

Ahsoka felt the familiar poke of a blaster pistol press against her back. She smiled despite herself and recognized the life essence of the two beings snickering behind her pouring into The Force. No real big surprise she got caught, but she opted to play along and see where this goes.

"I'm not as naïve as you think," Padme snapped, and Ahsoka had to admit, she did a good job of unwavering even as she slowly raised her hands up.

"I did tells you not to bring any escorts," a cold smile stretched across his features. "But that's fine. I think you'll find I broughts a few of my own."

Bail Organa's silhouette reappeared from the alleyway he ran into earlier, this time escorted by another pair of The Cat's goons, along with one more who now stood behind Padme. The entire group was momentarily rallied in front of The Cat.

"You slime!" Padme spat.

"Now, now," The Cat chuckled. "That's no ways for a Senator to speaks, is it? Cooperate with me, and… maybes I can negotiate with my friends to ease up on you's all, huh?"

Bail's attention suddenly shifted to Ahsoka. "But, this one was not with us."

The Cat's face scowled as he observed her. "She wasn't with us eithers."

Two of the goons cautiously converged around her, while The Cat kept his blasters fixed on Padme and his eyes centered on the mysterious imposter. "She's not with the authorities, is she?"

"No, I'm not," she delicately answered, and when a pair of his guards began to approach her she allowed a little of her soft smile to shine under the light. "But I am Jedi."

The Nikto's face had barely registered his horror to that revelation when a violent burst of Force Energy delivered the two goons soaring over his head then disappearing miles across the second block of streets. The other two assailants behind her each swung with the butt end of their blaster rifles, but instead of hitting their intended target they missed and promptly felt the swift kicks of her boots knocking the air out of their lungs. Her agile twists and somersaults eventually finished them off, and sent the last goon sliding several feet to an abrupt stop against the permacrete floor.

Ahsoka turned back around as she dusted her cloak off and found The Cat stuttering with terror washed over his features and his back firmly pressed against the wall.

"No Jedis! No fairs! Please… mercy. Have mercy! They made me do it, I begs!"

Padme picked up his dual blasters then turned to her savior.

"Ahsoka Tano." She said with a smile full of confidence. Ahsoka barely contained a laugh. A true detective, she humorously thought then promptly unveiled herself from beneath the hood and in doing so uncovered her smile.

"Who'd a thought I'd find you here,"

Padme planted her palms on her hips, "I thought The Jedi Council decided not to follow up on this investigation."

"Unless," Bail interrupted, "You are acting alone."

Ahsoka shot him with a disdainfully raised brow as if ashamed that he would even consider that of her, "It's not the place of the senate to ask about Jedi affairs," She empirically stated.

Padme sighed. "You truly are Anakin's padawan."

"Padme," Ahsoka stepped forward. "You know this is too dangerous for you to get involved."

"What else would you have me do?" She argued. "If you know anything about Anakin that The Jedi Council is refusing to let me in on…"

"Trust me," Ahsoka snapped. "I know no more than you do. The Council refused to tell me anything. They're not telling anyone. All I have is the same information that brought you to this guy."

Attention suddenly fell on The Cat. He had evidently recuperated some of his lost composure, but only enough to be frozen in a shell-shocked state and to stare at them with jittering lips.

"Now," a sparkling glimmer in Ahsoka's sapphire eyes glowed against the black backdrop of the gloomy street, and when she got closer to him she put her self-assured smile on full display. "You will tell me _everything_ you know."

Padme stepped back and watched as their prisoner trembled. "Please… Jedis… don't do this, I begs you."

Ahsoka's smile faded abruptly. "You… will talk."

"I can'ts!"

"Why not?"

"You don't understands," he sulked and huddled into a fetal position against the wall. "They's willl do terrible things to me if I cooperate."

"Who?" Padme interrupted, "Who are they?"

The Nikto turned his face towards the wall then shook his head. Ahsoka gestured for Padme to back away, to which she complied before the younger Togruta woman turned to him again. "Look at me. Hey! I'm talking to you."

When he refused Bail bolted from behind Ahsoka and landed a solid strike with the butt end of the blaster pistol in his grip across the back of the alien's head. "OWS!" The Nikto's sudden attention turned towards his attacker, who was grabbing at his shirt and struggling against a handful of claws slapping away at him.

"BAIL!"

The aggressor turned to find a pair of frowns directed at him by both women. "I'm… uh… only trying to help," he explained, while the Nikto was still flailing his arms beneath him.

With a scolding glare Ahsoka pulled Bail back and snatched the blaster from him. "This is _not_ helping_._"

"You're right," He nodded obediently and stepped back. "Excuse me."

Ahsoka turned to find the attention of the Nikto now back on her. She swallowed a deep breath of the dank air around her, and coolly closed her eyes, then as she gently lifted a single hand in front of her in her mind she saw the alien's black dot eyes falling victim to a hypnotic wave of her Force aura. She delicately planted her thoughts into the subtle ripples of The Force extending from the tips of her fingers, and reached out to his subconscious mind, slowly instructing him to listen to the raised questions coming his way. She repeatedly bombarded him with these waves, until she felt the barrier of resistance give in and ultimately break.

"Who do you work for?" She demanded. "You will tell me."

His reply came slow and entranced. "I will tells you."

"Who do you work for?" She repeated.

"I works for… Jotta… Jotta The Hutt."

Ahsoka exchanged quick glances with Padme before she continued. "What did your last customer want from Jotta The Hutt? What was he looking for? You will tell me."

"I will tells you." the dazed alien nodded.

"What did he want?" She repeated.

"Informations."

"What information?"

"He never tolds me."

Ahsoka's eyes shifted in exasperation. "Very well, do you know where he is now? Your last customer, you _will_ tell me where he is."

"Yes, I will tells you," he nodded again.

"Where did your last customer go?" She repeated.

"Nar Hakura," the stunned Nikto replied. "Anakin Skywalkers is on Nar Hakura."

Ahsoka's hand slowly fell to her side. At last, a new lead. As if dazed by the trance herself, Ahsoka turned and found Padme and Bail watching her attentively and waiting for her to break the silence.

"I'm going to Nar Hakura," she affirmed.

"You realize that system is right at the heart of Hutt Space. It's suicide." Bail argued.

"For a senator, yes," she nodded. "As for me? Well, we'll see."

Admittedly, Ahsoka knew little to nothing about Nar Hakura other than what the rest of The Galaxy already knew; it is both an old Hutt manifested fortress from an ancient war, and a quiet hive for all that is slavery and criminal rivalry. In the past only wanton villainy has ever spawned from that place and she can't imagine anything remotely decent could possibly stifle there now, so what sensible reason could her master have had to want to venture there?

"A word of warnings," everyone turned to The Cat, still on his knees but finally recovered from his trance. "Jotta The Mighty will be _extremingly_ displeased with trespassers. I tried to tells your friend… now I am tellings you. Best leave it alone, I says."

"If only it were that simple," Ahsoka said dismissively. If that planet holds answers then she will find it, and Jotta The Hutt will undoubtedly be guarding whatever secrets are lying there.

"Stay safe," Padme added as she approached her.

"And remember," Bail interrupted. "If you need us just give us a call. We'll be ready waiting for any news."

"I know," She replied then looked Padme in the eyes. "Wish me luck."

Padme offered her a smile and a warm embrace. "Please… find him."

"I will, Padme," Ahsoka said with a determined depth to her voice. "I promise."

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_A.N. Thank you for reading!_

And I'd like to personally thank Faefangirl (glad to have you excited!), RaeCarson(you're quite popular on the fanfiction FB group!), the two queens QueenYoda(I really like your screen name btw) and Queen Jane Approx(For taking from your time to fix my grammar mistakes), mouse(It's gonna get spookier!), Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay(She's a lot of fun to write!), and a random reader w/o profile (You're awesome for being the first to review!). Thank you all for taking the time to review the first chapter!


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